Dress-shield.



'No. 722,395. PATENTED MAR; 10, 1903.

' 1) BASGH DRESS SHIELD.

APPLIOATION'I'ILED SEPT. 11 1902.

10 MODEL.

M 44 ATTORNEYS PATENT FFICE.

DAVID BASCH, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

DRESS-SHIELD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 722,395, dated March 10, 1903.

Application filed September 11, 1902. Serial No. 122,959. (No model.)

and replaced, if desired, in connection with other garments.

My dress-shield comprises a body-fiapand an arm-flap united at their upper concave edges and a shoulder-strap connected to the arm-flap in such a manner as to cause same to cling to the arm when the same is raised. The dress-shield is provided with suitable stiffening-pieces in order to further compel same to conform to the outline of the body and the arm and to partake of the movements of the arm.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction and combination of parts to be hereinafter pointed out.

I will now proceed to describe a dress-shield embodying myinveution and will then point out the novel features in claims.

. In the drawings,Figu re 1 illustrates a dressshield in position upon the wearer. Fig. 2 is a View in perspective of the dress-shield detached and on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a do tail view of certain parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the body-flap portion of the dress-shield with certainparts thereof broken away in order to illustrate a stiffening-piece employed therein. Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a dress-shield embodying my invention, but of a slightly-modified construction. Fig. 6 is a face view of the same looking toward the arm-flap, but having certain portions of the arm-flap broken awayin order to illustrate the stiffening-pieces therein employed.

A dress-shield constructed according to my invention comprises a body-flap a, an armflap b, and a shoulder-strap c. The body and arm flaps a and b may be constructed of any suitable material and in any desired manner;

but forpurposes of this present specification I have shown them as each composed of an inner rubber portion d, covered on both sides with a fabric e. The body and arm flaps are united together at their upper concave edges in the ordinary or any desired manner and are of ordinary crescent-shaped form, the edges along which they are not united being of convex contour. The shoulder-strap o is united at its opposite ends to the arm-flap and, having reference first of all to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is provided with two bracing-straps f, each of which is united at one end to the shoulder-strap at a point intermediate its length and to the arm-flap in proximity to its convex edge at a point intermediate the ends thereof. The employment of the bracing-straps in connection with the shoulderstrap will result in strain upon the shoulderstrap tending to lift the arm-flap, so that if the arm of the wearer be raised and the strain thereby put upon the shoulder-strap the armflap will be lifted and held close to the under side of the arm. I then provide the arm-flap with stifiening-pieces 9, arranged in proximity to the outer concave edges thereof and in line of strain of the shoulder-strap, and by the use of such stiffening-pieces I prevent the arm-flap from buckling or creasing at or near the point where the shoulder-strap is united to the arm-flap, and, further, cause the arm-flap to curve in the desired manner transversely when strain is put upon the outer edges. The stiffening-pieces preferably comprise thin fiat strips of celluloid, which are formed integrally withthe arm-flap by interposing them between the rubber portion (1 and the outer covering of fabric e. In Fig. 3 the outer covering of fabric 8 of the armtlap is removed and one of the stiffeningstrips g exposed.

I have found for ordinary purposes that short sti tfening-strips, such as those shown in Figs. 2 and 3, are all that is necessary; but I may, if desired, extend these stifieningstrips much farther, as shown in Fig. 5, and may, in fact, connect them all'the way around from one end to the other in proximity to the outer concave edges, in which case the most convenient form is to make these strips in three pieces g g and h, as shown in Figs. 5

and 6.

The stiffening-strips g g and it may be secured in place in any desired manner, as by sewing or the like.

Where stiffening-pieces are used which extend all the way around, as in Figs. 5 and 6, I find that I am sometimes able to do without the bracing-straps f connected to the shoulder-strap; but in the preferred form of my invention I employ them for the purpose beforedescribed. I also, preferably, provide the body-flap with a stiffening-piece, which stiffening piece is preferably a transverse strip extending clear across the body-flap, as is shown more particularly at 7; in Fig. 4. This stiffening-strip may also be composed of a thin strip of celluloid or other suitable flexible material and will preferably, also, be disposed between the interior sheet of rubber and the outer sheathing of fabric. This stiffening-piece tends to prevent wrinkling 'or buckling of the body-flap, especially when strain is put upon the shoulder-strap, and causes the body-flap at all times to hug closely to the body of the wearer.

The body-flap may be provided with a suitable attaching device j at its lower end, by which it may be removably secured to a garment of the wearer, and the shoulder-strap may also be provided with a suitable attaching device, as 7c, which attaching device may also comprise a device for adjusting the length of the shoulder-strap, all in a manner well known.

I do not desire, of course, to be limited to the precise details of construction or combination of parts herein shown, as the same are obviously capable of many modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is 1. A dress-shield comprising a body-flap and an arm-flap united at their upper concave edges, the arm-flap provided with stiffening-pieces secured thereto and longitudinallyin proximity toits opposite convexedges, and a shoulder-strap secured at its opposite ends to the arm-flap in proximity to the stiffening-pieces, substantially as set forth.

2. A dress-shield comprising a body-flap and an arm-flap united at their upper concave edges, the arm-flap provided with stiifening-pieces comprising thin flat strips of celluloid arranged longitudinally in proximity to the outer convex edges, and a shoulder strap secured at its opposite ends to the armflap in proximity to the stiifening-pieces, substantially as set forth.

3. A dress-shield comprising a body-flap and an arm-flap united at their upper concave edges, composed of rubber and covering material, the arm-flap provided with stiffening-pieces comprising thin fiat strips of celluloid arranged between the rubber and the covering material, and longitudinally in proximity to the convex edges thereof, and a shoulder-strap secured at its opposite'ends to the arm-flap in proximity to the stiffeningpieces, substantially as set forth.

4. A dress-shield comprising a body-flap and an arm-flap united at their upper concave edges, stiifening-pieces secured to the arm-flap longitudinally in a line substantially in the line of strain of the shoulderstrap, and a shoulder-strap secured at its opposite ends to the arm-flap and to the stiffening-pieces.

5. A dress-shield comprising a body-flap and an arm-flap united at their upper concave edges, the arm-flap provided with stiffening-pieces secured thereto, and longitudinally in proximity to its opposite convex edges, a shoulder-strap connected at substantially the point of juncture of the concave and convex edges of the dress-shield, and diagonal bracing-straps, substantially as set forth, connecting the shoulder-strap to the arm-flap at points away from the said point of juncture, and connected also to the said stiffening-pieces.

6. A dress-shield comprising a body-flap and an arm-flap united at their upper concave edges, a shoulder-strap connected atsubstantially the point of juncture of the concave and convex edges of the dress-shield, and diagonal bracing-pieces connecting the arm-flap with the shoulder-strap at points away from the said point of juncture, the armflap provided with stiffening-pieces, arranged longitudinally in proximity to the convex edges of the dress-shield, and including the portions located between the bracing-straps and the shoulder-strap.

DAVID BASCH.

Witnesses:

C. F. CARRINGTON, M. M. OoNovER. 

